We had words
by ShelleyGraceCobaltMirage
Summary: Set during Season 1... Dani follows a blood trail...


Dani knocked on the door, the knuckles of her right hand brushing lightly against the hardwood as she gripped the cool metal handle in her left. She waited, exhaling slowly, leaning in towards the door, listening for movement on the other side. 'Damn it Nico.' She muttered quietly, her ear pressed against the door now, the other side still showing no signs of life, no sound reaching her straining ears. She knocked again, louder this time, her frustration, her necessity now more evident in the brisk loud rapping on the door, her sense of urgency heightened by the large drop of blood smeared on the ground at her feet. She had noticed the first drop, not uncommon in the training rooms, on the floor out by the mural. A single bright red standing boldly against the muted grey tiles. A testament to hard work, to training, to pushing one's body to the limit. Or so she thought. Until she spotted the second drop, larger than the first a couple of feet away, leading down the hall.

With her eyes trained on the floor, seeking out the splotches of red amongst the speckled flooring, her mission that of a demented detective tracking the source of the steady trickle of blood, now falling in regular flecks along the corridor, she had found her hunt brought to an end, standing outside the door to the security office.

She shook her head slightly, gathering her courage to force the door open and see just what was waiting on the other side. She counted herself down, mentally bracing herself for a shock, for a berating as she invaded both Nico's professional and personal space, for whatever may appear as she pressed her advantage and pushed the door. With one hand still on the handle, her eyes wide, she could not stop the small gasp as she came face to face with what was behind the door, and the blood. 'Nico?' the word slipped through the gasp as she faltered through the door, her eyes locked onto where he sat on the couch, his shirtless torso twisted as he tempted to press gauze against the wound in his blood-covered side.

His head turned at the sound of his name. He raised a heavy brow on his otherwise expressionless face as he took her in, standing just in the threshold of his office, her eyes locked onto the wound he knew traced along a rib and around his side to disappear behind his back. 'Doctor?' His tone mimicked his expression.

'What happened?' She shook her head, snapping herself out of her moment of shock. Whatever she had pictured being the origin of the blood trail, Nico Careles, shirtless and injured, calmly tending his wounds in the solitary confines of his office was not it.

'One of my targets and I had…' he paused then as he smirked. 'Words.'

'Words?' She heard her voice increase in pitch, the adrenalin now kicking in as she adjusted to the shock of seeing him injured.

'Well, I had words.' Nico grinned, shrugging before turning away from her to focus on patching himself up.

'And he had? What exactly?' Dani questioned as she finally forced herself to let go of the door handle and step fully into the office. She let the door close behind her.

'Not words.' He didn't even turn to face her as he made light of the situation.

'Nico?' She took a small step closer to him, moving slowly as though approaching a frightened animal.

'Why are you here Doctor?' He kept his eyes trained on what he was doing as he soaked up the blood still seeping from the gash in his side.

'I was looking for you.' She began quietly, her concern disguised in her tone.

'Well you found me.' He spoke dispassionately over her.

'And then I found the blood. So I followed it.' She continued, unperturbed as she stepped even closer still.

He exhaled now in exasperation as he turned to face her fully once more, knowing she was close enough to touch him. 'What do you need Doctor?' He saw her blink slowly as she swallowed.

'You're hurt.' She stated softly.

'It happens.' He matched her tone, her volume.

'Let me help you.' She reached a hand for the gauze, her eyes locking onto his injury.

He shifted slightly, angling his damaged body from her. 'It's fine.' He attempted to dissuade her knowing all-to-well the futility of trying to talk her out of anything her mind was set on.

Her eyes snapped to his, hers narrowed. 'It is most definitely not fine.' She shook her hand slightly, drawing his attention to it. 'Give me the gauze.'

'I am not one for your patients Doctor.' He held his hand steady against his side, refusing her order. 'I do not require you make me feel better.' He countered despite knowing he had no way of actually tending to the wound on his back, reluctant to let her see him like this.

'I know you don't need me Nico.' Dani spoke softly, her eyes betraying her hurt. 'I just thought that perhaps you'd let me assist you.' She turned back to face him. 'Because you want to.'

'Why would I want to do that?' He kept his tone even, neutral.

'We're colleagues. Friends even.' She tried to appeal to him.

Nico felt his patience slipping, knowing he was venting his anger at the more convenient, but incorrect target. He ran his free hand through his hair, brushing non-existent stray strands from his forehead and out of his eyes. 'You're always putting your nose in where it doesn't belong. Adding your thoughts and opinions. Holding everyone to your standards. Just leave me to do my job Doctor.'

'But…'

'Just leave me alone.' He snapped his voice loud now, his eyes blazing. 'I don't need you. I am quite capable of dealing with the situation, managing the problem and fixing the fallout.'

She took a surprised step backwards. 'No one said you couldn't.' Her eyes teared up at his vitriol, at his misplaced anger. 'I didn't mean…' She blinked and then swallowed again, clearing her throat. 'No one thinks you can't.' She paused again as his face grew more unimpressed. She raised her hands in front of her in a move to placate and calm. 'I'm sorry.' She shook her head as she backed slowly towards the door. 'I'll just go.'

He lasted only a moment as he watched her pained retreat from his office, from him and his anger. 'Damn it.' He let the words go with a growl as he hauled himself to his feet. 'Doctor?' He called to stop her. She took the final step from his office. 'Doctor Santino.' He spoke louder, more forcefully as he followed her through the door. He watched her stop, but refuse to turn to face him. He lifted his free arm and placed it on her shoulder gently. He felt her flinch but she didn't attempt to move from his touch. 'Dani.' His voice soft, now, his anger and embarrassment forgotten as he tried to repair the damage his frustration had done.

'What?' Her voice hesitant as she kept her body angled from his, her eyes on the floor, her shoulders tight under his gentle grip.

'I was out of line.' He used the hand on her shoulder to turn her to face him. He felt her slump under his touch, her expression softening at his words. 'And I'm sorry.'

Her eyes found his, the hurt, the question in them confronting as he tried to maintain the eye contact. 'I still don't understand what I did…'

'You didn't do anything Doctor.' His eyes dropped from hers then. 'I was embarrassed.'

'You were embarrassed?' Her head tilted as she raised a teasing brow.

'And now I'm going to regret I confessed that aren't I?' He matched her expression as his eyes found hers once more.

'Not if you let me help you.' She smiled widely then, knowing she had him right where she wanted him. 'You let me assist and I'll forget you even said it.'

'You'll forget it?' It was his turn to raise a brow as he stepped backwards towards his office, his hand still on her shoulder dragging her into the office after him.

'Forget what?' She fluttered her lashes at him coyly.

'Exactly.' He matched her grin as he sat himself back down on his couch. He watched as she closed the door before turning to face him, her hands on her hips, her head tilted as she took him in. 'Do your worst Doctor.' He held out the gauze to her.

'I happen to be very good at this sort of thing.' She quipped before she closed the distance between them and took the wadded material in her hand, her eyes shifting from his gaze to his injured side, her smile leaving her face as she leant down closer to get a better view.

He leaned back slightly, extending his side to allow her to see better. 'The rest of the kit is just over there.' He nudged at the medical box with his foot as he watched her draw her lower lip between her teeth, her brow furrowing as she concentrated. He resisted the urge to shift again under her scrutiny.

Dani straightened then, stretching her back a little as she mentally accessed what she needed to do to clean and sanitize the wound. Dropping to her knees, she shifted closer to her patient, her knees landing either side of his foot, her chest brushing against the edge of his thigh as she leant forwards to press the gauze against his side once more. 'You gonna tell me what happened now?'

He took a deep breath, adjusting his body to the feel of her, warm and soft against him. 'Kid got the jump on me.'

'And that's why you were embarrassed.' It was a statement not a question she delivered, her eyes still focused on his side, one hand resting on his chest as the other dabbed gently at him.

'You're not going to let this go are you?' he kept the amusement out of his voice.

She reached a hand and grabbing the medical kit, she dragged it closer to her body. Focusing on her rummaging, searching for the means to disinfect the gash Dani answered his question. 'People pay hundreds of dollars an hour for me to listen to their problems Careles.' She looked up at him then, a hand on his chest, her eyes sparkling as she prepared to tease him. 'But you literally have me on my knees begging to hear yours.'

'Begging?' He raised a brow, his expression otherwise neutral.

She caught the corner of her lower lip in her teeth, before smiling around it. 'That's right. Begging.'

'Well when you put it like that.' He teased her back, smiling slightly as she colored under his gaze, the soft blush only endearing her further to him. He watched as she uncapped the small bottle of antiseptic and tipped a small amount onto a new piece of clean white gauze.

'This may hurt a little.' Her voice serious again, colored with her worry.

'The disinfectant? Or the confessing?' He tried to tease, knowing very well she meant the treatment of his wound.

'Funny.' She caught his eyes as she lifted her hand to his side, pausing only for him to acknowledge her action and nod his consent. 'Here we go.'

He heard her small intake of breath that matched his own as her hand, and the antiseptic came into contact with his skin. 'I'm ok.' He reassured her once the initial stinging had subsided. He watched her concerned gaze flick to his. 'I promise.'

'I believe you Nico.' She returned her attention to cleaning the dried blood from his skin. 'I'm just waiting for you to tell me why you were embarrassed.'

'Do I have to?' He smirked again, dodging her challenge.

'No you don't.' She straightened to look in his eyes, her free hand dropping from his ribs to find his thigh as she turned to face him. 'But if you don't I am going to assume it's because I saw you shirtless.'

He threw back his head and let out a bark of laughter then. 'That is exactly what the problem is.'

She let her eyes run boldly, slowly over his exposed chest. She knew she was blushing at her blatant ogling of his pectorals, his chest hair, his flesh. 'Well you should be.'

'That's not very nice Doctor.' He mock chastised.

'So is dodging my help and, well, I don't even know how to finish that statement.' She giggled softly before catching her lower lip in between her teeth as she attempted to stem her laughter.

He held her eyes a moment longer, enjoying her warm gaze as it rested on him, her expression open for him to read, her brown eyes shining with humor and compassion as she looked back at him, their moment only broken as she blushed deeper and turned away to focus on his wound once more. 'It was a kid.' He spoke quietly. 'That's got the jump on me. I should have seen it coming.' He saw her glance quickly up at him before he shifted his gaze across the room to focus on the back of the closed door. 'But I didn't. I thought I had intimidated him enough. He had backed down. I thought that was enough. I turned slightly to check on TK.' He shook his head. 'I opened myself to an attack. I left myself vulnerable and he took the opportunity.'

'This isn't your fault Nico.' Dani placed a soothing hand on his leg, her palm rubbing his knee gently.

'I should have known better.' He still refused to meet her gaze. 'It was dangerous. And I should have known better.'

'What happened next Nico?' Dani kept her voice soft as she tried to coax him through the explanation.

'I got a knife to my side.' He caught her eyes then. 'As you can no doubt see for yourself.' His self-loathing was so very obvious in his tone, his expression.

'And after that?' she held his gaze.

'I disarmed him and disabled the threat.' He spoke with detachment now. 'I waited for the police to take possession and then I delivered TK home. As was expected.'

'And then?' her voice held her concern that he had seen to all others before himself.

'And then I came here.' He saw her open her mouth to ask her next question. He lifted a finger to silence her before he continued his outline, not letting her speak. 'And before you ask, after that, you found me.'

'That's not what I was going to say.' Dani shook her head, her eyes sad as she then looked away from him.

'What were you going to ask Doctor?' He kept his tone steady, his expression to match as he waited for her to answer.

She kept her attention away from him. 'Did anyone check you were alright?'

'Why would they?'

At that, at his words and his tone of such self-deprecation she spun back to face him. 'Why would they?' She shook her head in confusion. 'Why wouldn't they Nico?' She shot at him, her exasperation adamantly clear.

'To ask would imply they care.' Nico's voice held no accusation, just resignation and acceptance.

'You have me. And I care.' Dani's eyes filled with tears at his lack of conviction, of self-worth.

'I don't have many friends Doctor. Not too many care about me.' He smiled slightly then. 'I have a job to do. And that is the extent of my interaction here.'

Dani blinked away the tears, useless and unwanted now, as she held his gaze. 'Not to me.'

'And what am I to you Doctor?' He let his voice soften, his expression shifting to match.

'The pain in my ass that doesn't communicate, gives me orders and then the silent treatment when I fail to follow them.' She broke into a grin then. 'The man who is determined to undermine my shoe preferences.' She watched him raise a brow in acknowledgement of that statement. 'And above all, I hope, my friend.'

'I'm your friend?' He matched her smile.

'You better be.' She tried to pout, but failed miserably. 'I wouldn't put up with everything I do if you weren't.'

'I'm hardly the cause of most of the things you, as you say, put up with.' He folded his arms over his chest, his action blocking her attempts to secure the injury with butterfly Steri-Strips. He smiled, his head tilting, he raised a brow as she slapped gently at his arms to get him to shift them.

'You are correct.' She attempted to pacify as she finally dislodged his folded arms. 'But you are often the bringer of most of the issues. And therefore, by default, the cause of most of the things I put up with.' She kept her eyes focused on the gash as she pressed the butterfly bandage to secure the edges together.

He watched, amused, knowing she was concentrating by her now silence and through the tiny pink tip of her tongue visible from his higher angle. He saw her squint at her creation, the now covered cut in his side, turning her head backwards and forwards to ensure she had in her mind done the very best job possible. 'Satisfied?' He questioned as she straightened once more to look fully at him. He grinned as she narrowed her eyes further at him and his flippancy.

'Not nearly.' She ran a hand gently across the imitation sutures, watching for any signs of discomfort. He remained unresponsive to her touch. She shrugged then. 'But it'll have to do.'

He let his gaze drop to her handy work. 'What more could you have done?'

'Nothing.' She shook her head again. 'I didn't think you'd sit still for real stitches.'

He turned back to face her. 'And you can do that?'

She placed her hands on his knees and pushed herself up to her feet, stopping, bent, her face close to his, her hands sliding slightly up his thighs. 'I can do a great many things, Mr Careles.' She straightened completely then, her face lit up with a beguiling smile. 'A great many things.'

'I can only imagine.' He let the insinuation drip in his voice, watching as she shrugged a single shoulder, feigning nonchalance as the color rose on her cheeks once more.

'You just keep imagining then mister.' She tried to keep her voice level, her amusement contained.

'I think I just might.' He waggled his eyebrows at her, an action not so dissimilar to TK's constant teasing.

'And,' she took a step backwards. 'I'll be going now.'

Nico stood, taking a step towards her as she made her way towards the door to his office. 'Dani?' He closed the distance and caught her gently by the arm, stopping her with his touch, his choice to use her first name.

She saw his expression soften, turn serious. 'Nico?'

'Thank you.' His voice sincere as he offered his gratitude.

'You're most welcome.' She touched a hand to his cheek, brushing her thumb along his jawline before dropping her hand and taking another step towards the door. 'And Nico,' she held his gaze, her eyes locked on his. 'I meant it when I said I care about what happens to you. I care about you.'

'And I know you do.' Nico acknowledged. He shifted, angling his body around hers to open the door for her. 'I appreciate it more than you could know.'

'So now you're helping me.' Dani smiled gently. She touched her hand to his arm.

He matched his smile to hers. 'It is what friends do.'


End file.
